Most Anticipated Books of February 2019

Hello friends! Today’s post is my Most Anticipated Books of February 2019! Isn’t that exciting?! Most of these books I’ve found by perusing Netgalley’s site, or I’ve found on GoodReads.

My “Most Anticipated Books of (Month/Year)” posts are a monthly post where I basically drool over, and talk a little about the books I’m excited to read that are going to be published very soon.

Enjoy!

February 01

The Queen of Cursed Things (The Queen of Cursed Things, #1) by S.M. Gaither | Young Adult, Fantasy

She’s the last member of a cursed and deadly clan.
He’s the crown prince with a dangerous secret.
Together, they’ll save the empire–or destroy it.

Decades ago, the High King of Sundolia waged a war that vanquished the serpent clan and drove them out of the empire, reducing them to nothing more than legends spoken of in occasional frightened whispers.

But they did not leave peacefully. Their parting gift included curses that now rest within the empire’s soil, beneath the shade of its jungles, treading through the waves of its seas. Growing more and more dormant as the years pass under the shadow of that increasingly tyrannical high king.

Until Alaya–a girl with a hidden serpent mark who shouldn’t exist–accidentally wakes one of them up. Then another. And suddenly she finds herself near universally despised and feared, a scapegoat exiled from her adopted village and left with no choice but to seek the truth about her cursed bloodline. About her true home. About a power, stolen from the serpent goddess herself, that is supposedly resting in that home. It is the sort of power that could help her overthrow a king, expose the lies he’s told, and put a stop to his wars.

But the closer she gets to that power, the more complicated the truth becomes. The more dangerous her waking power seems. And the more she begins to wonder: Can you still be the hero if you were born a curse?

The moment started to read the synopsis for The Queen of Cursed Things, I knew I had to get my hands on this novel ASAP. I haven’t gotten it yet, but my hopes for The Queen of Cursed Things is high.

What interests me most is that Alaya accidentally wakes up curses that may have been forgotten. I’m also looking forward to reading Alaya’s story precisely because I have a feeling that I will love this novel. I’m so stoked to read it, I can’t wait!

February 05

Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy, #2) by Laura Sebastian | Young Adult, Fantasy

The Kaiser murdered Theodosia’s mother, the Fire Queen, when Theo was only six. He took Theo’s country and kept her prisoner, crowning her Ash Princess–a pet to toy with and humiliate for ten long years. That era has ended. The Kaiser thought his prisoner weak and defenseless. He didn’t realize that a sharp mind is the deadliest weapon.

Theo no longer wears a crown of ashes. She has taken back her rightful title, and a hostage–Prinz Soren. But her people remain enslaved under the Kaiser’s rule, and now she is thousands of miles away from them and her throne.

To get them back, she will need an army. Only, securing an army means she must trust her aunt, the dreaded pirate Dragonsbane. And according to Dragonsbane, an army can only be produced if Theo takes a husband. Something an Astrean Queen has never done.

Theo knows that freedom comes at a price, but she is determined to find a way to save her country without losing herself.

I read the first book to the Ash Princess Trilogy, Ash Princess. I remember there were parts of the novel where I liked reading the story, but there were more parts in my mind that I remember not liking.

Maybe with reading the sequel I’ll like the story more.

What I remember liking about Ash Princess was the magic for sure.

Courting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology, #1) by Robin LaFevers | Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning…

Sybella has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope is Sybella’s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she struggles to remember who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands—even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

As Sybella and Gen’s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knife’s edge. Will they find each other in time, or will their worlds collide, destroying everything they care about?

I heard that the Assassin series wasn’t exactly coming back, but the series is being…. added onto? Maybe Courting Darkness will be a series companion, but after the His Fair Assassin trilogy ended. I haven’t yet finished the His Fair Assassin series, which I’ll hopefully get around to doing sometime within (if not this year, then) a few years. Nevertheless, I’m excited that Robin LaFevers is coming out with another book!

February 11th

Foreign to You by Jeremy Martin | LGBTQIA+, Young Adult

The harmony between humans and fianna, a species of shape-shifting deer, begins to wither as racial tensions and deeply rooted resentment turns violent.

Ruthless hunter Finn Hail and prophesied liberator Adelaide may be heroes to their own species, but they are enemies to each other. With war on the horizon, the reluctant pair must team up to find the most elusive of prey: the god of the Forest.

As enemies press in from all sides, true intentions begin to show. For Finn to save the boy he cares for most, he might need to aim his gun at the very god he seeks. And Adelaide, with her festering hatred for mankind, will have to determine if peace holds true salvation for her people.

I recently found Foreign to You via Netgalley not too long ago. I saw the cover art (which is gorgeous) and continued to read the synopsis. I got through all of one sentence when I decided on a whim to request Foreign to You. I’m very happy that I now have an ARC of Foreign to You, and I’m quite excited to read it.

February 12th

Bloodwitch (The Witchlands, #3) by Susan Dennard | Young Adult, Fantasy

Fans of Susan Dennard’s New York Times bestselling Witchlands series have fallen in love with the Bloodwitch Aeduan. And now, finally, comes his story.

High in a snowy mountain range, a monastery that holds more than just faith clings to the side of a cliff. Below, thwarted by a lake, a bloodthirsty horde of raiders await the coming of winter and the frozen path to destroy the sanctuary and its secrets.

The Bloodwitch Aeduan has teamed up with the Threadwitch Iseult and the magical girl Owl to stop the destruction. But to do so, he must confront his own father, and his past.

I’ve been silently waiting to hear more of Aeduan’s story so I’m happy that he finally gets to tell his own story. I’m just a tad worried about what might happen within this third book!

Crown of Feathers (Crown of Feathers, #1) by Nicki Pau Preto | Young Adult, Fantasy

I had a sister, once…

In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.

I promised her the throne would not come between us.

Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.

But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.

Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. And meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.

Sometimes the title of queen is given. Sometimes it must be taken.

I hear of Crown of Feathers back in December and I’ve been looking forward to reading this book ever since. I love the cover, and I love love love that what Veronyka is riding is a phoenix. So cool!

The Sisterhood by A.J. Grainger | Young Adult, Thriller

Seventeen-year-old Lil’s heart was broken when her sister Mella disappeared. There’s been no trace or sighting of her since she vanished, so when Lil sees a girl lying in the road near her house she thinks for a heart-stopping moment that it’s Mella.

The girl is injured and disorientated and Lil has no choice but to take her home, even though she knows something’s not right. The girl claims she’s from a peaceful community called The Sisterhood of the Light, but why then does she have strange marks down her arms, and what—or who—is she running from?

The Sisterhood is a book that I didn’t think would interest me. In fact, the fact that The Sisterhood is a YA Thriller is what made me look more into the novel. The synopsis is intriguing enough for me. I have doubts that I’ll like The Sisterhood, and that’s only because there’s mention of a “peaceful community called the Sisterhood of the Light.” That to me, 100% screams crazy-talk. Lil has good instincts when she feels that something is off about this girl she found.

The Beasts Heart by Leife Shallcross | Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retellings

A luxuriously magical retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in seventeenth-century France–and told from the point of view of the Beast himself.

I am neither monster nor man—yet I am both.

I am the Beast.

He is a broken, wild thing, his heart’s nature exposed by his beastly form. Long ago cursed with a wretched existence, the Beast prowls the dusty hallways of his ruined château with only magical, unseen servants to keep him company—until a weary traveler disturbs his isolation.

Bewitched by the man’s dreams of his beautiful daughter, the Beast devises a plan to lure her to the château. There, Isabeau courageously exchanges her father’s life for her own and agrees to remain with the Beast for a year. But even as their time together weaves its own spell, the Beast finds winning Isabeau’s love is only the first impossible step in breaking free from the curse . . .

The Beasts Heart has me interested in seeing how the point of view from the beast will play out. Especially since there hasn’t been a retelling that I’ve read where the story is told from Beast, and not the Beauty. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to reading The Beasts Heart and what this rendition of Beauty and the Beast will have in store for its’ readers!

February 19

Clouded by Envy by Candace Robinson | Young Adult, Ned Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Brenik has always been envious of his twin sister, Bray. Growing up as fairy-like creatures, known as bats, everything came easier to Bray. While Brenik spent his time in her shadows, never feeling he was enough. After escaping their world of Laith, and living on Earth for ten years, Brenik attempts to strike a deal with the Stone of Desire to become human. Though true humanity is not an option, he will accept the curse that will alter him to get as close as he can.

Living in a tree trunk for the past year hasn’t been easy for Bray, more so after her brother disappears again. When a human boy and his brother, Wes, find her, a new friendship is struck. Through Wes, Bray learns there can be more to life than waiting within a tree. But worrying over where Brenik has vanished to always remains in the back of her mind.

When Bray reunites with Brenik, she realizes she must help him break the curse after she discovers the need for blood is beginning to overpower him. The curse not only damages those who get close to Brenik, but it could also destroy whatever is blooming between Bray and Wes.

Hmmm, so, Clouded by Envy seems to be a story told in two points of view, which will be interesting. But another thing that draws my attention to Clouded by Envy is that the curse that Brenik is willing to live with is something akin (if it isn’t exactly) vampirism. Which is remarkably interesting since I haven’t read a vampire novel in a while.

February 26

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller | Young Adult, Fantasy

How do you kill a god?

As her father’s chosen heir, eighteen-year-old Rasmira has trained her whole life to become a warrior and lead her village. But when her coming-of-age trial is sabotaged and she fails the test, her father banishes her to the monster-filled wilderness with an impossible quest: to win back her honour, she must kill the oppressive god who claims tribute from the villages each year or die trying.

Okay…. I’ve got to be honest here. The cover is very intriguing, and then reading the synopsis for Warrior of the Wild is even better. You’ve got to love books about female warriors! Warrior of the Wild can be a very dangerous book and read for me, because the title, the synopsis and the cover work so well together. The synopsis sounds so cool, the cover has just the right amount and focus to it that I want to read the story. Yiiiiikes, I want to buy Warrior of the Wild already, haha.

Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury | Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Retellings

Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the royal family was murdered–down to their youngest child, Princess Anya–and the Union government rose in its place. But Stacia doesn’t think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father’s vineyard with her closest friends, Clio and Pol.

That all changes the day a Union ship appears in town, carrying the leader of the Belt himself, the Direktor Eminent. The Direktor claims that Princess Anya is alive, and that Stacia’s sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists, intent on hiding her. When Stacia is identified as the lost princess, her provincial home explodes into a nightmare.

Pol smuggles her away to a hidden escape ship in the chaos, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission. She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail.

Last of Her Name drew my interest because I knew that there was something familiar about the synopsis and plot of the story. I didn’t know what, but it suddenly clicked as I was typing this out: Last of Her Name is a retelling of the Anastasia story! Now that I have an inkling to this I’m truly interested in the happenings of Last of Her Name. I can’t wait to find out how Last of Her Name unfolds.

Other Titles I’m Interested In:

• The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (out Feb. 05)
• Stolen Time (Dark Stars, #1) by Danielle Rollins (out Feb. 05)
• The Cerulean by Amy Ewing (out Feb. 05)
• We Told Six Lies by Victoria Scott (out Feb. 05)
• Just for Clicks by Kara McDowell (out Feb. 19)

That’s all for today’s post.

Are there any books in February that you’re interested in reading?

Thank you for stopping by!

See you soon, and Happy Reading!
Adele